Fannish 5: qualities of characters ...

[fajrdrako]

From this week's fannish5: Name five qualities you always find attractive in fictional characters.

1. Courage


2. Competence


3. Intelligence


4. Nonconformity


5. Wittiness

I realize I haven't done the questions for the past few weeks, and they're good ones. So: catching up. What fun.

What five unexplained mysteries or questions raised by canon do you most wish you knew the answer to? In Torchwood? And I can only cite five? Ooo-kay...

1. How did Jack get off the Game Station? Yes, we can be sure this will be answered soon in Doctor Who.


2. In Jack's chronology, how long ago was he abandoned on the Game Station?


3. What was the war in which Jack became a soldier, and who were the 'terrible creatures' who were the enemy?


4. Who is Bilis, What kind of creature is he, how did he get his time-travelling skills, and what's his agenda?


5. What exactly is the nature of the relationship between Ianto and Jack? We know they are lovers, but we barely know that. Details, please, details!

What are the five coolest gadgets, in any fandom? I'm assuming here that 'gadget' means something electronic or mechanical, ruling out, say, Dunan MacLeod's sword and Jack Harkness' guns, or wands and other magical devices.

1. The sonic screwdriver (Doctor Who)


2. Jack's wristband (both Doctor Who and Torchwood)


3. Star Trek's universal translator


4. Professor X's Shi'ar wheelchair (X-Men)


5. Legion flight rings (Legion of Super-Heroes)

Comments

[kikibug13.livejournal.com]

I love reading you answers to these!

And YAY! for the sonic screwdriver!!!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Glad you enjoyed.... The sonic screwdriver is magnificent, of course. And the wristband goes without saying. The other three 'gadgets' were surprisingly difficult to think of. Most of my heroes don't have gadgets. They have superpowers, or attributes, or long coats (Jack, the Doctor, John Constantine, Gambit, Black Widow, Pete Wisdom) or vehicles (like Stingray and his Stingray, or the SUV, or the Chula timeship, or the TARDIS), but I couldn't think of much in the way of gadgets.

[skywardprodigal.livejournal.com]

May I point out, that arguably, Gwen (Cooper is it? From Torchwood anyhow)...can really only be accurately described as brave. And it's not emotional bravery. :/

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I agree about Gwen being an emotional coward. There are numerous ways in which Gwen Cooper is attractive - but that's not it! In fact, I don't think she ever achieves any of the prime qualities on my list, which is why I have such mixed feelings about Gwen. Even her physical bravery usually come across as recklessness.

That being said, Gwen does have qualities I like - so she is not a first-rank hero, but an interesting character, an acceptable protagonist. So if I were to list " five qualities for which I like Gwen Cooper" I would list:

1. a lovely voice
2. pereverence
3. kindness
4. curiosity
5. her enthusiasm over sex

...Or I could be less intellectual and say I like her big eyes and tooth-gap and puppyish smile and long legs and the sexy way she snogs sex aliens.

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

Much the same re: 4 out of 5 qualities, except nonconformity. It's neutral, can be good or bad, depending on context. I like people who conform to my standards and ideals. And some people (real and fictional) can be too studiedly "unconventional" to be convincing. A pose of deliberate contrariness is just… slappable.

I like cultured people. If someone doesn't love art or poetry or music, I don't want to know them. And passionate people - I don't mean in a sexual sense, but in terms of having a life-passion.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

nonconformity. It's neutral, can be good or bad, depending on context.

I definitely love nonconformist heroes, though of course villains can be nonconformist too, and characters I don't like - it all depends on what way the character is a nonconformist, and what attributes he shows. I don't think I particularly like any heroes who are conformists, though.

I like life-passion types, too. But conversely, I like heroes also with a streak of depression or darkness - Captain Jack is a good example here.

My heroes don't have to be cultured or artistic, but I bet most of them are. It goes with being intelligent and perceptive.

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

I definitely love nonconformist heroes, though of course villains can be nonconformist too, and characters I don't like - it all depends on what way the character is a nonconformist, and what attributes he shows. I don't think I particularly like any heroes who are conformists, though.

His Loveliness? The very template of what a 12C prince was supposed to be. Pattie, too, is a bright little spark of a kind entirely at home in Enlightenment Edinburgh. Not remotely misfits.

And in fiction, the "nonconformist hero" has become a cliché itself.

I find the veneration of the nonconformist/misfit one of several more dubious legacies of Romanticism (along with its glamourisation of unhappiness and social marginalisation): the idea that "fitting in" is inherently bad. It's a very adolescent pose, a refusal of taking on adult roles and responsibilities.

I felt I belonged and fitted in in academia. Life since then has been in a kind of exile: I want to be back where I fit in and can be happy. There's nothing good about being an outcast.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

His Loveliness? The very template of what a 12C prince was supposed to be.

Well, yes, but I'm not sure 'conformity' was part of that picture: he led the way, rather than following the pack. A conformist might well have simply let Guy de Lusignan (or someone else) rule; Conrad followed the path he believed to be right. A nonconformist is not a misfit. A nonconformist is someone who sees ways things should be better.

in fiction, the "nonconformist hero" has become a cliché itself.

What examples are you thinking of?

I find the veneration of the nonconformist/misfit one of several more dubious legacies of Romanticism

Well, there you have it! I am a Romantic, through and through.

It's a very adolescent pose, a refusal of taking on adult roles and responsibilities.

Only when misapplied.

There's nothing good about being an outcast.

No, but nonconformists are necessarily exiled or outcast. Sometimes they fit well into their environment; but they do think for themselves, rather than accepting fashions of thought.

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

A conformist might well have simply let Guy de Lusignan (or someone else) rule

He was certainly going along with what a substantial body of the political community wanted (the Ibelins, Greniers & c.).

A nonconformist is someone who sees ways things should be better.

No: that's your value-judgement on it. It simply means not conforming or fitting in. There is nothing inherent in the term about wanting to make things better, or worse. Just not fitting in with other people.

What examples are you thinking of?

In detective fiction, for example, the 'maverick' cop or detective has become a genre cliché, to the extent that it's become increasingly difficult for writers to find some new way of making the characters 'unconventional'.

Well, there you have it! I am a Romantic, through and through.

I have extremely mixed feelings about Romanticism. It has left some deeply damaging and dangerous legacies, as well as some positive ones.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

No: that's your value-judgement on it. It simply means not conforming or fitting in.

Well, the original statement - that I like a nonconformist hero - was mine, so I figure that for the purpose of the conversation I get to specify what I mean by it. I'm not sure what a 'misfit' hero would be but it isn't what I mean. I can't think of a better word to cover my intent.